While the support of the US Chamber for a GOP candidate is unsurprising, the foray of a deep-pocketed outside interest into an expensive air war suggests where this race is headed.

Eric Hyers, campaign manager for Democrat David Cicilline, offered this reaction to the US Chamber’s ad plan in an email fundraising pitch yesterday:

This group is pushing to privatize Social Security, fighting to keep tax breaks for companies that ship American jobs overseas and working relentlessly to maintain tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires. Their goal is to elect representatives that will rubber-stamp their corporate agenda and protect the interests of the wealthiest and most powerful special interests in Washington and they are confident they have found someone who will do just that in David’s Republican opponent.